Motivations to Eat

For each of the following items‚ use a scale from 1 = almost never/never to 5 = almost always/always to indicate your answer.

How often do you eat:

1.         because you want to treat yourself?

2.         as a reward for ha‎ving done something that you’re proud of or feel good about?

3.         because you like to eat?

4.         because it’s a special or traditional part of some social occasion or celebration?

5.         because you are depressed or sad?

6.         because you deserve it?

7.         because you feel worthless or inadequate?

8.         because you feel good or are in a good mood?

9.         as a way to help you cope?

10.       as a way to comfort yourself?

11.       as a way to avoid thinking about something unpleasant or to distract yourself?

12.       as a way to enjoy a social gathering?

13        as a way to celebrate a special occasion with friends‚ family‚ or a loved one?

14.       to be sociable?

15.       to keep people from asking questions about why you’re not eating?

16.       because someone pressures you to eat?

17.       because you feel like you can’t say “no”?

18.       to join in a festive occasion?

19.       because you don’t want to stand out or be different from others who are eating?

20.       to please your mother or someone else who wants you to eat?

Source: Reprinted from Journal of Research in Personality‚ 37‚ Cooper‚ B.‚ Jackson‚ M. L.‚ et al.‚ Motivations to eat: Scale development and validation‚ p. 308 (table). Copyright © 2003 with permission from Elsevier.